Automatic type-writer operator.



c. L. DAVIS. AUTOMATIC TYPE WRITER OPERATOR.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 7, 1912.

Patented June 9 mwwwwm@@wwwea@oww UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. DAVIS, 015 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGHOR TO U DERWOOD TYPEWRITE-R COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION O DELAWARE.

AUTOMATIC TYPE:WRITER oPnnA'roR.

1' 0 all whom it may concern: I Be it known that I, CHARLES L; DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, residing in Detroit, in the county of lVayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Type- IVriter Operators, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to a fair-leading mechanism for justifying the position of a master sheet with respect to its tracker board.

In the use of a master sheet in connection with a tracker board, as in controlling the actuation of typewriter operating mechanism, it often happens that the master sheet slips to one side or the other, bringing the apertures in the master sheet out of register with the corresponding apertures in the tracker board. Such a mishap would interfere with the proper action of the machine.

It is therefore an object of this invention to cause any disalining movement of the master sheet to correct itself and at'a point in advance of the tracker board, so that the position of the master sheetwill be justified when it reaches the tracker board, thereby bringing the accordant apertures into proper register with each other.

In a master sheet for controlling the ac tions of an automatic operator for a type:

writer to which this invention is shown as i applied, there are provided a series of apertures for controlling the action of the space key of the typewriter, which may be termed the space key apertures. Inasmuch asthe space key is operated after each word, these apertures occur frequently, and in fact, sufli;

ciently often to form a substantial line of apertures. This line of space key apertures is used in connection with a special justify ing tracker board for controlling the lead of the master sheet to the main tracker board. The justifying trackerboard, which is located in advance of the main tracker board,

is provided with a pair of parallel slits of sufficient length to practically always have one or more of the space key apertures in their scope of action. The shts are spaced apart from each other by a'fl'solid strip just such a suflicient distance that when the Specification of Letters Patent} master sheet is in its true position, the space key apertures will be in register with the splid strip and overlapping neither of the s 1ts. covered and closed by' the solid portions of the master sheet. If the master sheet slips out oft true alinement to either one side or the other, then air is admitted through one of the "space; key apertures to the corresponding slit, which"is=.connected to carry the air to the associated" side of a normally balanced pneumatic actuator, thereby caus- Patented June 9, 1914., Application filed September 7, 1912. Serial No. 719,057;

The slits under such conditions are t ing the swing of the actuator to this side.

The actuator moves a fair-lead guide, which is in engagement with the master sheet in advance of the main tracker board, so that the master sheet'is shifted back to correct the disalinement.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a rear view in elevation, partly broken away to show the underlying structure. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in elevation, taken at right angles to the view shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3- is a fragmentary perspective view of the s ecial or justifying tracker board, partly bro en away to show the underlying structure.

Referring more particularly to the separate parts of this invention aslembodied in the form shown in the drawings, 1 indicates a master sheet which is provided with a plurality of apertures'2 cut therein according to a predetermined arrangement to correspond to the operation of some extraneous mechanism, such as an operator for a typewriter, to obtain a predetermined sequence of operation of, the parts of the typewriter. Such a typewriter operator is shown in the application of Lyman R. Roberts and Charles L. Davis, No. 428,050, filed April 20, 1908. The master sheet 1 is supported tive and correct action,

actuators (not shown) for operating dis tinct arts. The action is such that when one of the apertures in the master sheet 1 comes in register with one of the apertures in the tracker board 5, air will'be admitted to the pipe 7 so that the particular associated pneumatic actuator isbrought into activity. It will be seen that in order to have'a posithe apertures 2 must properly register with the accordantapertures 6. l

In orderto detect any errors in register before they reach the main tracker board 5, there is provided a special justifying tracker board 8, which is located in advance of the main tracker board 5. This special tracker board 8 not only detects the errors, but enables the correction of the errors in alinement, so that any improper adjustment of the master sheet 1 will be rectified before such errorscan come to the main tracker board 5. For this purpose use is made of certain of the apertures 2 in the master sheet 1. ,In this case the space key apertures indicated at 9 are used inasmuch as they occur at points corresponding, to the spaces between successive words, which spaces are quite freover the bridge 12, and will not overlap and 11 are connected by .quent. These space key apertures 9. form a substantial row of openings in the master sheet- 1 and are arranged to c'oiiperate with a pair of slits 10 and 11 forming the inlets of cavities in the tracker board 8. These slits 10 and-11 are spaced apart from eachother by a solid bridge 12 just such a distance, that when the master sheet is in its true position, the space key apertures 9 will travel either of the slits 10 or 11; that is to say, the blank or solid portion of the master sheet will cover. the slits 10 and 11. so as to revent the passage of air into the cavities for which they fonn inlets. The slits 10 conduits 13 and 14, shown in the form of rubber tubes, to-opposed units 15 and 16 of a pneumatic actuator 17. The units 15 and 16 are shown in the form of collapsible bellows arranged on opposite sides of a fixed block 18 and connected to the pipes 13 and 14 by means of passages 19 and 20 in the block 18. The outer ends of the bellows are connected together inany suitable manner, as by means sage 25 are normally closed by valves 26 and.

27 of any suitable character such that, however, the opening will be rather small, and

from any suitable source indisuch that when air pressure enters one of the units, it .will render this opening or passage smaller still by pressing the flexible valve against the block 18. Any movement started in either one or the other of the units 15 and 16 will be transmitted .by a link.28 to a lever 29 which has a connection at its opposite end with anannularly grooved collar such that .it will permit a rotation of the collar, butwill transmit a transverse movement to the collar. The collar 30 is secured to a fair lead guide 31, which is shown in the form of a rotatable rod havin flanges 32 thereon adapted to engage opposite edges of the master sheet 1. The rod is mounted at its ends in bearings 33 and 34 in such a manner that it can rotate and can also slide in the direction of its length to shift the position of the master sheet 1.

In the use of the device, the master-sheet 1 is fed byany suitable driving means, which may be represented by roller 3, so that it passes by the face of the main tracker board 5, bringing the apertures therein into individual register with the accordant apertures on the tracker board 5, thereby controlling the action of certain or the other tending to bring the apertures 2 ou'tof proper alinement with their accordant apertures 6, this maladjustment would be detected immediately by the tracker board 8. If, for example, the master sheet 1 slipped to the right in Fig. 1, one or more of the space key apertures 9 would be brought into register with the slit 11, so that air would be admitted through the pipe 14: to

the unit 16 of the pneumatic actuator 17.

When'- thus admitted, the air will almost close the valve 27, so that the balance of the pneumatic actuator will be disturbed inasmuch as there is suction on the unit 15 and atmospheric pressure on the unit 16. This would cause the elements of the pneumatic actuator-including the link 21 to move to the right (in Fig. 1), thereby rocking the lever to shiftfair-lead guide 31 to the left, there by forcing the master sheet 1 also to the left bringing the apertures 9 once more in superposed relation with respect to the bridge 12 and out of register with the slit 11. If the master sheetslipped to the left, a similar action would take place, only that the unit 15 would have air admitted to it, causing a-movement of the elements of the pneumatic actuator to the leftand a corresponding movement of the fair lead guide 31 to the right.

The valves 26 and 27 do not form such an air-tight closure when the slits 10 and 11 are once more covered but what the air can be drawn out of the ,particular unit which was in action, enabling the shift to the opposite direction. The pneumatic actuator and the pneumatic..mechanism. If the master sheet l-should slip to one side fair lead guide taken together may be termed a shifter for obtaining 'a proper register of the apertures in the master sheet with the apertures in the tracker board.

Variations may be resorted to Within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a-inain tracker board, of a master sheet. cooperating with said tracker board to control the action of some mechanism, means for attaining a rela: tive movement between said tracker board and said master sheet, and a special tracker board placed in advance of said main tracker board to discover errors in placement of said master sheet before reaching the main tracker board, said, special tracker board controlling said means to obtain a proper register of said master sheet and said main tracker board.

2.- The combination with a main tracker board, of a master sheet cotiperat-ing with said tracker board to control the action of some mechanism, a special tracker board placed in advance of said main tracker board to discover errors in placement of said master sheet before they reach said main tracker board, and means controlled by said special tracker board engaging said master sheet in advance of said main tracker board to shift said sheet to correct errors in placement before they come to said main tracker board.

3. The combination with a trackerboard having apertures therein, of a master sheet cooperating with said tracker board and having apertures for controlling theactu ation of distinct parts of a mechanism, and' means for also utilizing certain of said apertures in said master sheet for the additional purpose of controlling the proper register of the apertures in said master sheet with the apertures in said tracker board.

4. The combination with a tra cker'board, of a master sheet coiiperating with; said tracker board to control the actuation of parts of a typewriter, said master sheet hav tive transverse relation of said tracker board and said master sheet.

The combination with a main tracker board, of a master sheet coiipera-ting with said tracker board to control the actuation of parts of a. typewriter, said master sheet having a plurality of controlling apertures therein, a. justifying tracker board in ad vance of the main tracker board and having a pair of slits therein located at the distance .ofthe width of an aperture from each other, and a shifter for-moving said master.

sheet when one of said apertures comes in register with one of said slits.

6. The combination witha main tracker v board, of a master sheet cooperating wlth" saidtracker board'to control the action of some mechanism, a; special tracker boardplaced in advance of said main tracker board to (llSCOVGl errors in placement of said mas-v ter sheet before they reach said main tracker board, and means controlled by sald'special tracker board engaging said master sheet in board, of a master sheet coiiperating with said tracker board to control the actuation of some mechanism, rollers for carrying said master sheet, a fair lead guide engaging said 'master sheet .at a point in advance of the tracker board, an actuator for manipulating said guide, and means dependent on the position of said master sheet for controlling said actuator, and operating the guide to rectifyerrors in the lateral position of the master sheet in advance of its engagement with the tracker board. 7

8. The combination with a tracker board having apertures therein, of a master sheet having apertures therein and arranged to cooperate with said tracker board to control the actuation of some mechanism, and means for detecting and correcting registration of the apertures in said master sheet with the accordant apertures in said tracker board in advance of said tracker board, so that the proper register of the accordant apertures will be obtained at the tracker board.

having an elongated aperture therein, of a master sheet having a series of apertures which move in close proximity to said; elongated. aperture during the normal travel of the master sheet, said apertures being so arranged that at least one aperture is always in position to become operative with said elongated aperture, a guide for the master sheet, and a pneumatic device forshifting said guide, said device communicating with said apertures whereby lateral displacement of the master sheet establishes communication between the apertures of said series and said elongated aperture and said guide is shifted to restore the master sheet to its normal path of travel.

10. The combination with a tracker board having parallel elongated apertures, of a master sheet having a series of apertures to pass between said elongated apertures when the master sheet is fed forward in its normal path, said elongated apertures being of such The combination with a tracker board I length as to permit more than one aperture openings of said series are brought in comof said 'ieries thereihetween, lai fdevice 1for' munication Wi th'said elongated openings. gui in t 'e-masters eet and's i ting it aty g erallyfimd pneumatic means in commnnica-' HA 5 tion with said elongated openings to shift Witnesses: Y

said: guide and thereby return the master W. J. REHM; sheet to its normal path of travel when the J. L. Dmirsorr.

I Copies 0! this patent may be obtained mi five cents each, by addressing-the "Commissioner of latenta Washington, D. 0. t, 

